Verve recently caught up with CEO and co-founder of Micropod, Jeff Xu, to find out more about what microgreens are and why they’re a great source of nutrients to add to any diet – and a great flavour for any meal!
What are microgreens?
Microgreens are the seedlings of leafy greens, vegetables and herbs. They can have up to 40 times more nutrients than their mature counterparts, and the vivid colours, intense flavours and array of textures can bring any dish to life. A small portion of microgreens can provide you and your family with a sufficient source of essential nutrients and vitamins.
Microgreens are sometimes given the impressive title of ‘superfood.’ Do you agree?
Absolutely! Microgreens are so nutritionally dense. While the nutrient content varies between microgreens, most are rich in potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium and loaded with antioxidants. It’s a good idea to incorporate them into your daily diet.
Micropods are all about growing microgreens in the comfort of one’s own home. How easy is this?
We’ve designed it specifically with the average-to-no green thumb gardener in mind! It should be so simple that anyone can use it, no matter their living space or gardening expertise. This is why we have eliminated the need for soil – our coconut fibre and wood pulp seedmats contain embedded microgreen seeds and all the nutrients it needs to grow healthy and strong. All the user has to do is give it some TLC (in the form of water and sunlight)!
Do children enjoy this nutritional micro food?
Kids usually love microgreens and it’s such a great way to get them to eat their veg. They enjoy the textures and simplicity of eating them. If they don’t like the strong flavours, then give them the milder varieties like Mizuna and Pak Choi. Micropod is a great way to get them involved with the growing process – it’s a fun project for them and teaches them about nurture and nutrition.
Could you give a few suggestions as how best to use one’s freshly grown Micropod microgreens?
It’s best to harvest the microgreens as you need them for optimum taste and nutrition – but if you can’t wait to get started on the next batch, you can harvest them all and store them in the fridge between two damp paper towels in a container. That way, you can enjoy them all week! We literally put them on top of all our meals – works great with a simple eggs on toast meal or an avo/tomato toast combo, any toast really! You can also put them in smoothies for that extra nutrient boost, add to salads, sandwiches etc. They bring so much flavour and beautiful colour to any meal they are added to. One of our favourite ways to enjoy them is when we have people over for a BBQ – we simply put the Micropod in the middle of the table, along with our Micro Snips, and people can harvest and add to their meals as they wish.
How easy is it to stock up on new seedmats for one’s Micropod?
Super simple if you join our auto-ship programme. It’s a subscription service where you can choose how frequently you would like to receive your seedmat refills. You can modify, change or skip at any time, there are no obligations, plus it’s free shipping in NZ (excluding rural). You also get a 10% discount when you sign up for this service. It’s a great way to build that healthy habit if the seedmats are delivered to you regularly. Otherwise, if you prefer to order as you need them, you can simply log onto our website and purchase off there.
What is your favourite Microgreen?
I’m a fan of the spicier microgreens – the ones that really pack a flavour punch! So I love Rocket which has a fresh and peppery taste and goes so well with a blue cheese and walnut salad, and I also love mustard microgreens which are also spicy, but have a hint of wasabi flavour.
Do you have any recipes you would like to share?
We have some great recipes on our blog: micropod.nz/blogs/news – my favourite being the simple tomato carpaccio recipe from our festive recipes blog post.
